ABSTRACT
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: One-third of normoalbuminuric type 1 diabetic patients show immunoreactive nephrin in urine. Offspring of type 2 diabetic patients are insulin-resistant and susceptible to the development of diabetes. We investigated whether the offspring of type 2 diabetic patients show nephrin in urine and whether possible nephrinuria is associated with insulin resistance. METHODS: Urinary proteins from timed overnight urine collections from 128 offspring of type 2 diabetic patients and 9 control subjects were analysed by western blotting using an antibody against nephrin. Glucose metabolism was assessed by OGTT and IVGTT and the euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp technique. RESULTS: Of the offspring, 12.5% were strongly and 14.1% weakly positive for a 100-kDa urinary protein. All controls were negative. During the first 10 min of an IVGTT, the offspring strongly positive for the urinary protein had a higher insulin response than the offspring without the protein (3,700 vs 2,306 pmol l(-1)min(-1), p=0.007). Insulin sensitivity (the rate of whole-body glucose uptake divided by the steady-state insulin level x 100) was lower among the offspring strongly positive for the urinary protein than among the offspring negative for the protein (11.3 vs 15.8 micromol kg(-1)min(-1)pmol(-1)l(-1), p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: A 100-kDa urinary protein detectable with a nephrin antibody is associated with insulin resistance in offspring of type 2 diabetic patients.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/physiopathology , Insulin Resistance/physiology , Proteinuria , Adult , Blood Glucose/metabolism , Blood Pressure , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/urine , Female , Glucose Tolerance Test , Humans , Hyperinsulinism/chemically induced , Insulin/blood , Insulin/pharmacology , Insulin Resistance/genetics , Male , Nuclear Family , Reference ValuesABSTRACT
The biomass of small and large fine roots (= 2 mm and 2-5 mm in diameter, respectively) in mineral soils of southern Finland was compared with estimated foliage biomass in the same stands. Study material was collected from stands differing in site fertility and age. The humus layer was deeper at the more fertile sites than at the less fertile sites. Fine root density was greater in humus than in mineral soil, and the fine root density in mineral and humus layers was greater at the less fertile sites than at the more fertile sites. Although the amount of fine root biomass was not correlated with any commonly recorded stand characteristic, small fine root biomass was proportional to foliage biomass for both site types. The coefficient of proportionality was larger for the less fertile sites than for the more fertile sites, supporting the theory of functional balance. A similar relationship could not be established for the large fine roots. A trend of increasing fine root:needle mass ratio with stand age was observed for stands on the less fertile sites.
ABSTRACT
Site specific bioavailability and metabolism of levosimendan was studied in ten dogs by placing intestinal access port catheters in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. 14C-labelled levosimendan (0.1 mg/kg) was administered intravenously, by gastric tube and directly through catheters that were placed in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Plasma samples were collected and radioactivity in the different organs and tissues was measured. The results of the present study showed that bioavailability of levosimendan was high varying from 71 to 86% after extravascular administration. Metabolite OR-1855 concentrations in the plasma were about 3-4 times higher after administration to the ileum compared to the other administration routes. It can be concluded that the bioavailability of levosimendan is not affected by site specific administration. The bacteria or enzymes responsible for the metabolism of levosimendan are located in the lower parts of the gastrointestinal tract.